Jason Vargas starts for Royals as critical set against Cleveland Indians begins

The Indians are still lurking in the American League wild-card race. Seattle and Detroit are tied for the second spot, and Cleveland resides four games back. They are still a dangerous club, even if they won’t replicate their 92-win campaign from 2013.

They are also the best opponent the Royals have faced in weeks. Kansas City went 6-3 on a road trip against Minnesota, Colorado and Texas, then just took two of three from the Twins again at Kauffman Stadium. Now the Indians come to town for three games, including ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”